Animal Itachi Has Become
by Mily-chan
Summary: A oneshot songfic to the song Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace. It's my view on what Uchiha Itachi was thinking when he murdered his entire clan.


**Animal I have Become .:. Uchiha Itachi .:. One-shot**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Itachi (or any of the other Uchihas for that matter) nor the lyrics to "Animal I Have Become" by Three Days Grace

* * *

_**I can't escape this hell  
**_

Itachi Uchiha was tired of his family, tired of the way he had to behave around them, tired of the way they treated him, just… Tired

But what was he to do about it?

_**So many times I've tried  
**_

Why do they think he became an ANBU so early anyway? For fun? No. It was to ease the relentless rage he held inside of him. The training took his mind off of his family, or at least it used to. Now it just reminded him of his family even more because they wouldn't leave him alone, so the training became relentless.

_**But I'm still caged inside  
**_

No matter how long or how hard he trained, the thoughts just wouldn't leave him.

_**Somebody get me through this nightmare**_

The only one he really had that didn't pester him was his best friend, Shisui Uchiha, but lately that had been changing as well. All Shisui did now was watch him silently, as if expecting him to do something.

Itachi had had enough.

_**I can't control myself**_

He was going to stop Shisui from giving him those looks, no matter what it took. He had finally crossed the line into desperation. If they weren't going to stop themselves, Itachi would stop them, whatever the cost.

----

**_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
_**

The members of the clan found Shisui lying still in the water, dead. He had drowned.

_**No one will ever change this animal I have become  
**_

At home, Itachi sat on his bed, staring at his shaking hands. What had he done? He had just killed his best friend, his only friend.

But this power that Itachi felt now… It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It felt… nice

_**Help me believe it's not the real me  
**_

Before he did anything drastic though, Itachi knew he needed to attend Shisui's funeral since as far as everyone knew, Shisui had killed himself. And since Itachi was Shisui's best friend (as far as they knew anyway), he at least needed to make an appearance.

_**Somebody help me tame this anima**l_

But he knew he would do whatever it took in order to keep that feeling of power, that feeling of superiority.

----

**_I can't escape myself  
_**

The training intensified almost to the brink of desperation. But then again, Itachi was desperate.

**_So many times I've lied  
_**

The clan members at home were becoming concerned with his behavior. After all, it had only been three days after Shisui's death and Itachi's only response was to train.

Their questions needed answers, answers that Itachi didn't have.

**But there's still rage inside**

So Itachi continued his intense schedule and secluded himself even more than ever before from the family, choosing to train and spend time away on missions rather than stay at home.

_**Somebody get me through this nightmare  
**_

There was no one else to turn to.

_**I can't control myself**_

What was he going to do?

----

_**So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
**_

He had figured it out.

_**No one will ever change this animal I have become  
**_

The way to get rid of all of his problems was to eliminate the source.

_**Help me believe it's not the real me  
**_

But who was the source? Was it his father? Or was it actually something much more complex than that?

_**Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
**_

How far was he willing to go to find out?

_**Help me believe it's not the real me  
**_

Itachi had the feeling he was going to go as far as necessary to figure out the cause of all of his pain.

_**Somebody help me tame this animal  
**_

Now to form a plan. Then Itachi could be free of all his troubles and finally move on in his life.

----

**_Somebody help me through this nightmare  
_**

He stood in the middle of the road inside of the compound, people bustling all around him. He stared straight ahead with blank eyes, willing himself not to look at anyone. He couldn't let his feelings interfere with his plan.

_**I can't control myself  
**_

A child playing some sort of chasing game ran at Itachi, not realizing where she was going while she turned around to see if her friends were close behind her.

Out of instinct from having so many ninja rush at him to try and kill him, Itachi whipped out his katana and sliced through her neck without even noticing.

_**Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
**_

Then he heard the scream. The scream of some poor mother who had just seen her child murdered. His heart lurched in anticipation.

Shouts were heard in response to this act of killing and within seconds at least twenty clan members were rushing towards Itachi to subdue him.

He couldn't let that happen, he had to finish his task.

**_I can't escape this hell_**

And so it began

----

_**This animal **_

Itachi was a killing machine that ran so efficiently, none could compare to it.

_**This animal**_

One by one the members of the clan fell to the ground. Acquaintances, family members; they all looked the same to Itachi.

All he could see was the face of his father, giving him the disappointed look that he always seemed to give Itachi no matter what he did. No matter how much he succeeded.

_**This animal**_

Another.

_**This animal**_

And another.

_**This animal**_

And another. Until he finally reached his destination: his home.

Itachi's parents were in there room, unknowing to the death that awaited them. Itachi appeared in the room, his ANBU gear covered in blood as well as his katana.

As his mother cowered on the floor beneath him, his father attempted to rise up and attack. He was dead before he had the chance.

Turning to the last female Uchiha left, he smirked. She died with a single word on her lips. Why?

_**This animal**_

Suddenly Sasuke burst into the room, screaming. Itachi was still in his killing mindset, the one he always had on missions. After all, in his mind this was yet just another mission, one that needed to be completed.

He appeared behind his brother, whispering into his ear. Sending him into mental torture, he stood silently, brooding.

_**This animal**_

Sasuke's scream cut the air. A jolt seemed to hit Itachi as he realized what was going on.

Eyes widening slightly, he gave a swift glance around the room. What had he done? Flashes of faces contorted with pain and fear rushed through his mind. It was too late to pull Sasuke out of the flashback now, and if he did pull him out what was he going to say anyway?

So Itachi did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

----

_**So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
**_

There was no way he could have actually killed all those people. It must be a dream, no, a nightmare.

_**No one will ever change this animal I have become**_

Apparently Sasuke recovered because he came sprinting down the street, yelling at him. Stopping when he was several yards away from Itachi he stared the elder Uchiha down, demanding an answer to why he had done this unspeakable act. This massacre.

_**Help me believe it's not the real me**_

What was he supposed to tell him? That he was tired of people always expecting more out of him? That the foolish clan he called his family were too weak and arrogant?

No. Those answers wouldn't satisfy his younger brother. Sasuke had potential, lots of it, and he would need something to motivate him, to exploit that potential.

**_Somebody help me tame this animal I have become_**

So Itachi lied, spinning out elaborate tales of why the Uchiha's deserved to die, how Itachi killed them in order to test his own power. He kept his eyes blank; there was no way he would let Sasuke see how much this had rattled him.

He hadn't actually planned to go through with the massacre; it was just an idea to satisfy himself so he could imagine what it would be like for them all to pay. He realized that he had forgotten his younger sibling while making those plans. Itachi knew there was no way he could bring himself to kill his brother, so in his mind he told himself it was because he knew that in order to succeed, Sasuke needed someone to hate.

That someone, he decided, would be himself

_**Help me believe it's not the real me**_

Itachi wasn't sure what to do to stop his brother so he knocked him out, letting him succumb to the darkness within his own mind to escape the horrors around him.

_**Somebody help me tame this animal  
**_

Itachi now stood silently at the top of the cliff overlooking the outside of Konoha. He had done it, it wasn't a dream. He had killed the entire Uchiha clan. Except one.

Would he regret his decision? Would he later think back on the days when he would return home to his mother cooking dinner and his cheerful younger brother waiting for him? And miss them?

Itachi sighed with the wind and turned away.

_**This animal I have become**_

It was too late to turn back now


End file.
